Process for producing soluble potassium or sodium compounds out of feldspar or mica or the like.



for the inanut'act'm-e of the potassium or sodium compounds,- so'important for the requirements both of agriculture-and industry. The

I I. Mira'or thelik'e, of which the following is I a specification; t 19- high percentae No Drawing.

To all whom i 15 may concern:

pounds, and

i ens W OFFICE "AxEL nunoLF mnnmn; or LUDVIKA, swnnnn.

rnoonss Fon rnonucmo SOLUBLE POTASSIUM on SODIUM COMPOUNDS our on I FELDSPAR on MIcA'on THE LIKE. 1

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

filed October 22, 1912. Serial No. 727,155.

' Specification of'Lettei-s Patent.

- Application raw material (0. g. feldspar or mica) together-with charcoal or other reducing agent Be it known that TLAXEL R-i'noLr LIND- ninxn, subject of the King of Sweden, reand a metal having the property of formsldmg at Ludvika, Sweden, have invented mgan alloy witlns-ilicon, or a compound of certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Producing Soluble Potassmm or Sodium Compounds Out of Feldspar or such a metal, reducible 1n the furnace. Such metals are e. 9. iron, copper, etc. llereby is attained the advantage that the silicon removed by reduction-can readily be separated from the product containing. a smaller quantity' of silicon clioxid than the raw material and intended for further l re a tment. I Byway of illustration, a description is given below of the process, as it is carried out with the use of 1101'1 for the last-named purpose and potassium feldspar as raw ma-k terial.

Feldspar, iron,

feldspar or mica deposits a comparatively of potassium'oxid, K 0, or a.,(),' or both the said comit' should therefore be possible for them 'to become a valuable raw material The numerous contain, as v well known,

sodium oXid,

or iron ore, together'with difliculty is to find some method charcoal are charged together and heated available for industrial purposes for conin the electric furnace. Hereby' is removed 'verting the potassium or sodium (in the by reduction a larger or smaller quantity of sequel also called alkali compounds) con- 'the silicon which forms an alloy-with the rocks or minerals containing potassium-- or tain several valuable by-productsJ used in practice.

- ficult to separate which-is collected as a valuable by-product. The properties of the remainingsmelted product depend on how much silicon dioxid has been removed from the raw material,

A few extreme cases'may wa of illustration, it being assumed pure potassium feldspar.

tained in the feldspar or mica or the like iron, silicids of-il'on, sodiun'i-aluminium silicates mtoa soluble form. However, no success has hitherto been met with in carrying out such a process economically.. It is true that various proosavls have been brought forward, but none of them have been available forindustrial purposes. y 'The present invention relates to a rocess, whereby it will become commercial iy possible to turn to account the alkali compounds contained in the minerals in question, and, moreover, simultaneously to ob The fundamental idea of the invention is that the raw material in question, feldspar or mica, or the mineral containing feldspar or mica,

here be given by or decomposed, whereupon there remains This compound which in composition is or the minerals containingl nsoluble S11'lanalogous with alum, is identical with the cates. of potassium or sodjiuitlabel subjected mineral lel l clte occurrnig spar ngly 1n na- 111 an electric furnace to a treatment by ture, often in the viclnity of volcanoes. As

the said salt easily weathers, and as it is soluble both in hydrochloric acid and in a number of other acids, it can (after being finely comminuted) be used as a manure in soil requiring potassium. The example here described, according to which such an amount of silicon dioxid is removed that the composition of the remaining product becomes analogous withleueite, isan extreme case. If less silicon dioxid is removed, there is not obtained an product soluble in water, hydrochloric aci or humus acids. But

which the silicon dioXid SiO contained in the material is entirely -or partially removed (decomposed). Many difi'erent variations of the method in question may be Thus, 2. g. the silicon dioxid .may be entirely or partially. removed by reduction, eventually with the formation of cal-bid of silicon. As, however, owing toits lack fusibility, it isdif the silicon carbid from not, the best method is the remaining prod the electric furnace the no doubt to heat in that than this solubility is the for enabling the roduct to be used as a manure. It is evi ent that in this case also the process can be varied in different ways the expression soluble compounds the following use in this specification and claims is meant compounds whlch are soluble in water, citric acids, hydrochloric acids and the like.

Having thus described myinvention I'declare that what I claim is:

'1. A process of producing soluble potassium or sodium compounds out of materials containing alkali-aluminium-silicate, consisting in heating the said material in an electric furnace together with such materials which during said heating have the capacity to decompose the silicon dioxid, said heating being carried on until so much of the silicon dioxidbein decomposed that soluble alkali-aluminium-sllicates are formed.

2. A, process of producing soluble potassium or sodium compounds out of materials containing alkali aluminium silicate, consisting in heating-said material in an electric furnace together with such reducing materials, which during saidheating have the capacity to decompose the silicon dioxid said heating being carried on until so much of the silicon diOXld being decomposed that soluble alkali-aluminium-silicates are formed. 3. A

slum or sodium compounds out of materials fundamental condition according to process of producing soluble potas containing alkali aluminium silicate, consisting in heating the said material in an electric furnace together with carbon,-said heating being carried on until so much of the silicon dioxid being decomposed thatsoluble alkali-aluminium-silicates are formed. I v q 1 4, A'process of producing soluble potassium or sodium compounds out of materials containing alkali-aluminium-silicate consisting in heating said material in an electric furnace together with such reducing material whichduring said heating has the capacity to decompose silicon dioxid contained in said material and a metal, which has the capacity to unite with the silicon thereby reduced, said heating being carried on until so much of the silicon dioxid being decomposed that soluble alkali-alumniiumsilicates areformed.

5. A process of producing soluble potassium or sodium compounds out of materials containing alkalialuminium-silicate, consisting in heating said material in an electric furnace together with such reducing material which during said heating has the capacity to decompose silicon dioxid contained in said material, and iron, the heating being carried on until so great a part of the silicon contained in the raw material has been reduced and combined with the iron to iron silicid that solublealkali-aluminiumrsilicates' are formed of the alkali contained in the/raw material.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witness's".

AXEL RUDOLF LINDBLAD. Witnesses:

AUe. HAGELIN, GRETA PRIM. 

